Tool having identification insignia



June 6, 1939. T. L.. HEDGPETH ow oo WM v- 'if i June 6, 1939. T. l.. HEDGPETH TOOL HAVING IDENTIFICATION INSIGNIA 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed March 27, 1937 y )lll 86 5/ @www @2Q/wf@ My/@2% Patented June1939 I I 'l UNITED STATES QATENT OFFICE 'rooL HAVING IDENTIFICATION i INSIGNIA lfliero'xvl L. Hedgpeth, Oak Park, Ill.` aplicaran March 27, 1937, serial No. 133,476 i 9 Claims.,- (oli. 4to-2.2) i Y The present invention Lrelates ,to IaKV tool, a.V a new and improved marking device for applying method of, andmeans for providingithe Vsame the marking typeto the tool.Y with identication marks. Theinventionfisfpar` in brief, the above-mentioned objects are ac. ticularly applicable' to tools like drop forged complished'by forming thetool, which for pur- 5' wrenches, but may be applied-to other tools as pose of illustration is `chosen to bean open end 5 well. y 4 wrench with an insignia of a predetermined de-A In work shops,I factoriesand the like, where a Sign. Thev insignia may' take various forms 01' comparatively large number ofworkers are emshapesly` but it is essential in the practice of the ployed in a relatively small area', the proper idenpresentinvention that; it be constructed with a Y tincation of tools hasbeena serious problem for portion adapted t0 t'into a complementary p0r`- 1o of the lack of an easy and simple method and 25 to provide a tool marked in such manner that some time'. In some places the employer'supplies tion lJrOVded 0n the `marking means so that the all the tools', and in others the employees supply 13001 Can be marked Only by marking means 0f a their Own, but the-problem of identification jg corresponding construction. It isrpreferred that present in both Where lhe employermsuppes the insignia comprise rib-like portions extendthe toolsy the problem arises from the feetfthet ing av predetermined distance outwardly from the 15 the individual workers are charged with the care tool enlfeee So tnet any eIteY'etOnS may be noted of tools placed in their custody; and where the readily from e Comparison .of the dimensions Workers own their own tools, theV problem arises of the outwardly extending portonrWtn respect from the individual ownership thereof. Because to the Surface of the tool; It is Preferred also that the outwardly extending rib enclose a rela- 20 tively narrow-portion of the surface of the tool, to which enclosed portion the identiiication mark Vis applied, in partat least, so that the mark can be removedfonlyvwith considerable difficulty and by use of special tools. 25

In the application of the invention to a double i v l open' end wrench, the insignia is formed on the faced Without considerable trouble, and'even vif handle in the forging process, and the outwardly completely effacedcannotrbe marked again withn. .b Y f th t d out great diinculty and Without leaving permaproject-mg n s ormmg e-mslgmaare.x en ed Y l from the surface of the handle, whlch 1s usually 30 nent evidence of the alteration.

A further object of this invention isto provide l tllatrheads to the plane ot the top a' tool that can be marked. only with a novtltype 'I'he preferred insignia is constructed in the of marking means made 1n accordance with the shape of an Oblong Octagon, Within which sren;

f means for permanently marking7 tools, the loss of `tools by alteration of identification marksrhas Iremained an ever present source ofy annoyance.

`The primary object of thel present' invention is the identificationV marks cannot be altered or efnal ldentlcatlotl marks ,be ettaced" other tnarks of the wrench handle,l and with a central rib that cannot be readlly Subdtltuted therefor Wtthout is parallel to the long sides of the oblong Octagon. the Hotel type )f markmg tneansj The marking means is constructed to t within further' obleot of the lnventlon 1S tno P'fo' the octagonal insignia, and is provided with Va Vlslon of a new and nove@ method of markmg central ridge or depression, into which the central 40 tools so that the identifying marks cannot be rib of the insignia fits. removed Without difliculty, and even though re- ,After the die has been placed in position' (wel. moved the tool Win provlde 'evldenoe of Such the insignia;Y pressure is applied thereto to imremove'l- 'Y l y press the identification mark or marks on 'the I A further object of thepresent invention is to Wrench Simultaneously en both Sides of the @en 45 provide a new and novel markingr die for a tool treuV rib` provided in the Course 0f its manufacture W th Once applied, the identication marks may be an lnSlgnla adapted t0 .reeelVe Only Inarkng removed vonly with considerable difliculty because means 0f the n0Ve1 typethe ordinary grinding wheel cannot be made to Amore SpeCiC Object iS t0 Construct the markextend to the enclosed surface of Athe wrench. 50 ins means and insignia with complementary in- The use of special tools in making 'anerations vter-iiiiing portOnS S0 that the 11001 Can be will act as a deterrent upon any one desiring to 'marked only with a certain type. of marking alter the identiiication marks. means. If the identification marks are effaced, it is present invention so that even though the Otig' closed a relatively narrow portion of the surface 35 f Anotherobject ofthe invention is to provide necessary to'substtute new marks; but, since a 5s special marking means is required, the substitution is rendered diicult, and therefore less likely to be done. If the original identification marks are effaced and new ones substituted therefor, the alteration may be detected by a comparison of the height of the insignia with the surface of the wrench handle within and without the insignia. If an alteration has been made, the inside height of the insignia is greater than the outside height. If the change is concealed, as by grinding away the surface of the wrench handle outside the insignia, any alteration may be detected by comparing the changed height of the insignia with its original height. Even though the insignia be reduced to its original height, the alteration may be detected by comparing the height thereof with the plane of the faces of the wrench heads.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing description of the tool,

' Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; and showing the height and section of the insignia;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the assembled die used in marking the insignia illustrated in the previous figures;

Fig. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional View taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4, showing the relative positions of the marking dies and die block when properly assembled;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4, showing the relative positions of the marking dies and die block and the means for securing them in assembled relation; y

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan View of an assembled die of modified form;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical cross-section taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7, showing a modified means for securing the marking dies to the die block;

Fig. 9 is a side view, partially in section, of a punch that may be used for marking the wrench. The figure shows the wrench placed on the punch with the die in place thereon, over the insignia, and the punch plunger in position to be struck for marking the wrench.

Fig. 10 is a front view of Vthe device of Fig. 9, showing the manner in which the wrench is utilized to raise the plunger to its upper or retracted position;

Fig. 1l is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on the line H H of Fig. 9, showing the details of a spring biased finger adapted to maintain the punch plunger in its retracted position; and

Fig. 12 is a partial top plan view of the wrench after it has been marked in accordance with the present invention.

Referring first to Fig. 1, there is illustrated a double end drop forged wrench having a pair of heads IB that are somewhat thicker than the handle l2 connecting them. The heads l0 are substantially circular in shape, and the opposite sides lll and I 5 thereof are formed flat and lie in substantially parallel spaced apart planes. The handle l2 is substantially elliptical in cross section in accordance with usual practice.

The insignia I5 of the present invention is formed on the handle l2 in the forging process, and it may be seen to consist of an integral rib extending outwardly from the surface of the handle to the plane of the surfaces I4 of the heads Il), so that the height of the insignia can be readily compared with that of the surfaces. The insignia is formed in the shape of an oblong octagon having a central rib IS parallel to and intermediate the long sides of the insignia, thereby dividing the area enclosed by the peripheral part of the rib into two portions 22 and 24. The portions 22 and 24 are formed with substantially flat surfaces, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the identification marks may be readily impressed thereon.

The surface of the wrench handle enclosed by the insignia is relatively narrow as compared with lthe height-of the insignia, so that when the handle is marked in the manner hereinafter to be described, the marks cannot be removed except with considerable difficulty and the use of special tools.

'I'he identification marks are applied to the enclosed portions 22 and 24 in such manner that a part of each mark lies on each side of the central rib I 8. The mark is applied simultaneously to both portions by a novel marking die provided with a complementary groove or depression into which the central rib extends when the die is positioned over the insignia.

'I'he identification marks used in describing the present invention are letters, but it is apparent that other marks may be used equally well. When letters are used as identification marks, it is necessary to displace somewhat the medial cross lines in letters such as A, B, H, etc., in order to prevent disfiguration of the central rib.

The individual marking dies, as may be seen from Figs. 4 to 6, inclusive, comprise a block 28 of material having a hardness sufficient to leave an impression in the materialV from which the wrench is made when pressure is applied there- The identification marks 36 extend outwardly from the bottom surface of the block and are arranged in reverse so that the identification marks will be impressed properly upon the wrench.

The blocks are provided with a substantially centrally located depression or groove 32 into which the central rib I8 of the insignia extends when the die is placed thereover.

The individual dies are held in assembled relation in a die block 34 provided with a central substantially rectangular opening 36 by means of a set screw 38 extending through the die block into engagement with one of the dies. The set screw should be so adjusted as normally to maintain the dies in the position indicated in Fig. 6, but allow relative movement therebetween in case the dies are not properly positioned and the die block 34 strikes the wrench before the dies themselves do.

The lower side of the die block is provided with a beveled shoulder 40 surrounding the opening 36. This shoulder is so dimensioned that it circumscribes the insignia i6 and thereby positions the dies when the die block is placed' in position over Ythe insignia.

The dies 28 have a length somewhat greater than that of the die block 34, but the mark carrying lower ends do not extend to the lower end of the die block. This construction is provided so that the die block acts Vas a guide in positioning the insignia with respect .to the dies. The upper ends of the dies extend beyond the upper endof the dieblock, so that force may be'applied directly to the dies-'rather than to the die block. Since theforcerequired to impress the identification marks upon the wrenchis applied directly to the dies, the dieblock acts primarily as a positioning means. For this reason the .dies need not be secured tightly to the dieblockgas described above, and consequentlyytheymay. be secured to the die blockin a resilient manner, as shownin Figs. 7 and ,8., @1. The construction shown in these guresis substantially the samedescribed above, with the exception that the opening 36 is made somewhat larger than the combinedarea ofthe dies; 28, and that 'the screw 38 has .been replaced by a resilient spring 42 'comprising a flat portion 44 anda bowed portion 46. The latportion.v 44 is secured to shoulder 4010i the die. block; by a screw 48, and the bowedportion 46 extends between one of the dies 28 and the die block, thereby resilie'ntlyv holding the dies in place.

The identification marks may be readily and simply applied to the wrench bythe novel punch device shown in Figs. 9*.to V1l,inclusive. The punch consists of. a bed plate52 provided with an upwardlyV and forwardly extending standard 54 of substantially I-shaped cross section. rIhe cuter and forward endof the standard, terminates in a substantially cylindrical portion 56 provided with a vertical openingv in which, is mounted a plunger 58. The punch may be secured to any suitablesupport by bolts or screws (not shown) adapted to pass through holes 60 provided on the base plate.

The plunger 58 is of the type thatis moved manually in both directions and is prevented from rotating by a guiding pin 62 extending through the cylindrical front portion 56 of the standard into a vertical slot 64 formed on the plunger 58. The upper endY 66. ofthe plunger is made of reduced diameter and is rounded so that it may be struck with a hammer, or the like, with suicient force to drive the dies into the wrench.

The plunger is heldin its upper or retracted position by a pin 68 having a rounded` end and slidably mounted in an opening 'l0 formed in an external boss 12. rThe rounded end4 of the pin is adapted to be forced into an annular groove V74 formed on the plunger slightlybelow the middle thereof whenever the plunger is raised to a predetermined position.' Thepin 68 is'biased toward the plunger by ahelical spring I6A abutting against the pin 68 and a stop screw 80 closing the opening 18. The pin 68 not only serves tohold the plunger in its retracted position, but also prevents free movement ofthe plunger at all times. y l

The lower end of the plunger v58 is provided with a head 82 that is substantiallyl elliptical in cross section so as to extend over all the-dies, as clearly shown in Fig. 10. In orderthat the ,plunger may be inserted in place yin the opening in the cylindrical portion 56, the =base plate52 is provided with an elliptical opening 84 through which the plunger may be inserted into the opening. The opening 84 is covered by an anvil 86 extending the width of the bed plate and provided with a central raised portion 88 upon which the wrench is placed for marking. The anvil may be slidably mounted in the bed plate or secured thereto, as shown', by a pair of screws 90.

When it is desired to mark a Wrench provided with insignia of a design described above, suitl able marking dies `28 are rstselected from a font containing a group of dies. Usually the font contains twenty-six dies corresponding to the number of letters in the alphabet, but, as stated previously, other identifying marksV may be. used. v-The selected dies are then placed in the diefblock34 where they are held in position either bythe set. screw 38 vor the resilient spring42, depending on which form of die block sused. The wrench is then placed on the raised portion 88 rof the anvil 86 in such manner that the insignia I6 is located directly below plunger 58. The die block 34 containing the dies 28 is thereafter placed over the insignia. If the plungeris in its retracted position with pin 68 Vin groove 14, then a relatively slight pressuremust be ,applied to the plunger to force the pin out of the groove andthe plunger into engagement with the tops of the dies that is, to the position indicated in Fig. 9. v

After the plunger has been brought into this position, a heavy blow may be struck on the upper end 66 of the plunger to force theA dies into the wrench. After the blow has been struck, the wrench may be lifted to the position shown in phantom in Fig.v 10 to lift the plunger to its retracted position with pin 68 against the groove 14.

It may be seen that the dies need not be accurately positioned within the die block because of the fact that the dies may move relative to the die block. If the die block extends too far below the vends of the dies, the die block will strike the wrench rst,lbut the dies may be moved to their proper marking positions by applying a` Because-of the close proximity ofthe long sides 20 vof the insignia and the central ribv I8 .to each other, it is exceedingly diflicult to efface the identification marks. In case the original marks are removed and new ones substituted, the alteration may be detected from an inspection of the relative height of the insignia with respect to the wrench heads I8 or the wrench handle surface inside or outside the insignia, as previously described. i j

While the ribbed octagonal insignia described above is a preferred insignia. other forms `may be used as well. For instance, a plurality of ribs similar to the single central rib I8 described may be used, and it is not necessary that the insignia have an octagonal shape. Asa further possible modification, a portion of each identification mark may be outside the enclosing insignia as well as inside. A

The` invention described above is particularly adaptedl to be practiced by supplying a quantity.

of tools provided with a certain insignia and corresponding marking dies to individual dealers. Purchasers of tools, be they individuals or organizations employing a number of workers, can obtain tools suitably marked from the dealer. Once marked the owners thereof are less likely to lose them because of the diiculty of eifacing the identification marks and applying new ones, and also because of the detection of alteration.

- Therinvention is also adapted to be practiced in large work shops where the tools are distributed from a central tool room. The tools in any particular tool room or Shop may be provided with a distinctive insignia and the attendant would be provided withl a corresponding die. The attendant would thus be the only person able readily to mark the tools whereby the likelihood of loss would be decreased, as explained above.l v Y It should beunderstood that the above described invention may be modified in various ways, as indicated above, bythose skilled in the art, and that it is not limited to the above described embodiment.Y

I claim: r .'1. A toolV comprising sections of different thickness, the thicker of which has a plane surface spaceda predetermined distance from the surface of the thinner, an insignia formed on the surface of the thinner' of said sections cornprising a rib of uniform height extending outwardly from the surface to the plane of the surface of the thicker section, a part of said rib enclosing a relatively narrow portion of the surface of the thinner section, and a second part dividing the enclosed surface into two parts, and identification marks formed onthe enclosed surface'with a part of each mark on each side of the dividing rib, whereby the identification marks may be eifaced only with difliculty and by use of special tools and when eifaced the alteration may be readily detected by noting the planesof the surfaces of the tool sections and the rib.

2. A tool adapted to be marked with a die provided with identification marks crossed by a groove comprising sections of different thickness, the thicker of which has a plane surface spaced a predetermined distance from the surface of the thinner, and an insignia formed on the surface of the thinner of said sections comprising a rib extending outwardly from the surface to the plane of the surface of the thicker section, whereby the tool may be marked readily only with a grooved die, alteration of the marks rendereddifcult, and alterations readily detected by comparison of the height of the insignia and the surfaces of the-tool.

3; A tool comprising sections of different thickness, the-'thicker of which has a plane surface spaced a-predeterrnined distance from the surface of the thinner, an insignia formed on the surface of the thinner of said sections comprising a rib extending outwardly from the surface to the plane of the surface of the thicker section, and an identification mark formed on the surface of the thinner section with a part of the mark on each side of said rib.

4. A tool adapted to be marked with a die provided with identification marks crossed by aV groove comprisingsections of different thickness, the thicker of which has a plane surface spaced a predetermined distance from the surface of the thinner, and an insignia formed on the surface of the thinner of said sections comprising a .rib extendingoutwardly from the surface to the plane of the surface of the thicker section and enclosing a portion of the surface of the thinner section, said ribhaving a portion adapted to receive the groove whereby the tool may be marked readily only with a grooved die, alteration of the marks rendered difficult, and alterations readily detected by comparison of the height of the insignia and the surfaces of the tool.

5. A tool comprising sections of different thickness, the thicker of. which has a plane surface spaced a predetermined distance from the surface of the thinner, an insignia formed on the surface of the thinner of said sections comprising a rib extending outwardly from the surface to the plane of the surface of the thicker section and enclosing a portion of the surface of the thinner section, and an identification mark formed on the surface of the thinner section with a part of the mark on each side of the rib.

6. A tool adapted to be marked with a die providedl with identification marks crossed by a groove having formed thereon an identifying insignia consisting'of an integral rib of uniform height extending outwardly from a portion of the surface of the tool to the plane of another portion of the surface, a part of said rib defining a substantially oblong Octagon adapted to t around the end of the die and another part of said rib being located parallel to the long sides of Vsaid Octagon, thereby dividing the surface of the tool enclosed by the first part into two substantially equal portions said other part of the rib being adapted to receive the groove formed in the die whereby identification marks may be readily applied to the enclosed Vtool surface.

'7. A tool having formed on a surface thereof an identification insignia defined in part by a continuous rib of predetermined length and height projecting from said surface, and grooves formed in said surface of the tool in the forni of unitary characters or symbols having portions thereof abutting and extending from the opposite sides of said rib.

8. A tool having formed on a surface thereof an identification insignia defined in part by a rib extending outwardly from the surface of the tool, said rib enclosing a relatively small area of said tools surface and having an unbroken portion of predetermined length and height dividing the enclosed area into two parts, and grooves formed in each part of said surface area in the form of unitary characters or symbols having portions thereof abutting and extending from the opposite sides of said unbroken rib portion.

9. An article adapted to be marked with an insignia by a die provided with identification markers crossed by a slot, said article having formed on the surface thereof a continuous rib of predetermined length and height projecting from said surface adapted to receive the slot of said die, and identification marks in the form of grooves formed in the surface of the tool by the markers of said die, said grooves having unitary character or symbol forming portions which eX- tend in part from and abut each side of said rib as an insignia forming portion thereof.

THERON L. HEDGPETH. 

